COURSE SYLLABUS FALL 2015
JPNS 301: Advanced Japanese
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Classroom: Gallagher Business Building #202 MTWR 2:10 – 3:00 P.M.
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Instructor: Prof. Robert Tuck Office: LA 318
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Office Hours: MTWRF 10:00-11 A.M., and by appointment.
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Office Tel: 243-5301
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Email: robert.tuck@mso.umt.edu
Course Objectives
This course is designed to strengthen the development of the following interdependent skills: oral
communication, reading/kanji recognition, writing/recall of kanji, listening comprehension, and translation
skills.
Students will (1) practice oral communication in class by discussing the content of reading materials and
related themes in Japanese, using new vocabulary, in full sentences and with increasing complexity of
sentence construction; (2) improve kanji recognition, reading fluency, and pronunciation; (3) master the
writing of the assigned kanji; (4) reproduce/utilize new grammatical patterns introduced in each lesson both
in speech and in writing; (5) develop increasingly competent translation skills, these being essential for the
use of Japanese in interpersonal, business, and professional contexts; (6) develop the ability to do research
and locate and assess Japanese-language information on the internet.
Required Texts (available in Bookstore)
1.
2.
3.
Oka Mayumi, et al. 上級へのとびら • Tobira: Gateway to Advanced Japanese. Kuroshio
Publishers, 2010.
Oka Mayumi, et al. 上級へのとびら『きたえよう漢字力』 • Tobira: Power Up Your Kanji.
Kuroshio Publishers, 2010.
The Tobira course website can be accessed here. Please make sure to access the site and register
for it after the first class session.
Further Reading (Completely Optional, but Highly
Recommended):
 Kodansha International, Kodansha’s Furigana Japanese Dictionary: Japanese-English EnglishJapanese. Oxford UP, USA Oct 31, 1999 (order from Amazon)

Halpern, Jack, ed, The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary, Kodansha, 1999. (available at UM
Bookstore)
 Makino, Seiichi, et al., A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar, The Japan Times. (order
from Amazon)
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 Rubin, Jay, Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don’t Tell You Kodansha USA,
2013(order from Amazon)
Course Policies/Requirements
(1) The language of instruction in this course is Japanese. Unless explicitly given permission to use
English, students are expected to use Japanese for all in-class interactions, whether with the
instructor or with other students.
(2) This course meets four times per week, for fifty minutes each session. Regular and on-time
attendance is essential for success. This is an advanced-level class, and the attendance policy is
consequently less lenient than previous classes. Students are allowed up to THREE excuse
absences; any absences beyond these will result in a penalty of two points per absence subtracted
from your final grade (e.g. six absences results in a penalty of -6; three excused, then -2 for each
of the subsequent four, for a total of -8). In addition, ten or more total absences (i.e., including the
two excused) will result in an automatic failing grade (F).
(3) Likewise, completing and submitting homework in a timely and conscientious fashion is important
for you to progress in a satisfactory manner. Consistent failure to submit homework – in the
context of this course, more than six missed assignments – will, at the instructor’s discretion,
result in a grade penalty of ONE point per missed assignment.
(4) In the case of homework where multiple questions in an exercise have been skipped or answered in
an excessively careless or slapdash manner, I reserve the right to require the student to re-do the
work properly and re-submit it. No grade will be entered until the work is fully complete; if the
work is not redone within two class days, a grade of zero will be entered.
(5) Because of these policies, it is imperative to let me know as soon as possible (if practical, in
advance) if a major life event such as a medical emergency, death of an immediate relative, etc., is
likely to cause you to miss multiple classes. I am happy to work with you, but you must contact
me as soon as possible so I can help. I may also request reasonable verification.
(6) Except in extraordinary cases that have been documented and discussed with the instructor as per
(4) above, no make-up exams will be offered for quizzes and finals, nor will late homework be
accepted.
(7) Please plan ahead so that you arrive on time to each class. Two late arrivals will be counted as one
absence.
(8) If you are a student with a disability and wish to discuss reasonable accommodations for this course,
please meet with Disability Services for Students (DSS) in Lommasson 154 for assistance in
developing a plan to address reasonable modifications. If you are already working with DSS,
arrange to meet with your instructor during his/her office hours to discuss modifications that may
be necessary. For more information, visit the DSS website.
(9) This course may not be taken Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit; it must be taken for a traditional letter
grade.
(10) Students who wish to continue to JPNS 302 in the Spring 2015 semester must record a grade of C
or better. If you are a Japanese major or minor, note that a 2.5 GPA is required for all upper
division coursework in the major.
(11) Students are responsible for understanding and ensuring that they abide by the rules of academic
honesty. Academic dishonesty or misconduct of any kind (including, but not limited to,
collaboration on homework, plagiarizing written work from sources that are not your own, etc)
will not be tolerated and will be dealt with according to University regulations. In order to
familiarize yourself with what constitutes academic misconduct, students should read The
University of Montana Student Conduct Code, available online.
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Grade Calculation
Preparation, participation, demonstrated in-class performance
Speaking Exams (3)
Oral Performance (roleplays, happyo)
Quizzes (vocabulary, grammar, kanji)
Written assignments/homework exercises/roleplay
Chapter Tests
Final Exam
10%
10%
10%
20%
10%
20%
20%
GRADING SCALE
100 – 93 A
79 – 78 C+
62 – 60 D-
92 – 90 A77 – 73 C
59 – 0 F
89 – 88 B+
72 – 70 C-
87 – 83 B
69 – 68 D+
82 – 80 B66 – 63 D
Performance Grade
Your performance will be graded several times a week using the following scale:
10
9
8
7
6
0
well prepared, great participation; takes a leading role in discussion, is eager to answer questions
prepared, good participation in discussion
somewhat prepared, lackluster participation
poorly prepared, poor participation
present, not prepared, unable or unwilling to participate in discussion
absent
Class Expectations
Students should come to class able to discuss the text passages and with all homework well prepared. Daily
review of kanji and vocabulary is also mandatory. Practice reading the kaiwa 会話 and yomimono 読み物
out loud, and perform the kaiwa with a study partner as a general practice for class preparation. Students
will need a minimum of 2 to 3 hours of preparation for each hour spent in class.
Homework due on a particular day must be submitted at the start of class, stapled, with your name and
neatly presented. Exercises from the textbook should be either (1) written out by hand, fully; or (2) the
pages of the text may be photocopied clearly, with full answers written in by hand. Please do not ask if it is
OK to submit homework late, after class is over, or to return home to retrieve it. Students may be asked to
resubmit homework exercises or a sakubun 作文 for revision/correction of errors if errors are numerous.
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